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Health & Fitness

What I offer the Community as a School Board Member

BOE Candidate updates

  • I offer our community extensive experience with budgets. I will work to reduce spending that continues to place an undue burden on taxpayers  As a certified Project Manager (PMP),  my expertise includes all aspects of successfully managing budgets, including proper scope, identifying possible savings and keeping to a tight budget.  A bottom-up approach needs to be implemented The District’s approach to base a new budget on the prior year’s numbers is not only ineffective it’s not sustainable. I will scrutinize all contracts to ensure they are negotiated or renegotiated for best terms and conditions for the school district. We need to combine the best talent with more competitive pricing and better use of NYS Office  of General Services and Cooperative bidding on all purchases of goods, services and building maintenance. The school district needs to better manage its almost $200 Million dollar budget more effectively and efficiently.  The community is clearly outraged over the high compensation of our school administrators.  The Superintendent’s exorbitant compensation was approved  for 5 years by the current School Board which ends in 2016.
  • In the past year our  BOE  restricted the residents’  to publicly voice their questions, comments and concerns by requiring that topics raised during the Audience to the Public be limited to those items listed on the monthly Agenda. I stand for a Board that is interested in listening and openly responding to the residents that elected its members to office. I support an open and transparent BOE which welcomes community participation responsive to all residents. 
  • We need to have community budget work sessions for the BOE to explain the proposed budgets each year along with public input prior to budget adoption. This practice is already being done in many other school districts.

 

 What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the district, and how would you respond to those challenges?

I think the biggest challenge facing the District is how to continuously upgrade our educational programs, while at the same time balancing the financial and economic realities that are anticipated over the next several years. The District’s budget is almost $200 million. My initial plan is to take a hard look at expenditures to identify where necessary goods and services can be obtained at lower prices though more aggressive negotiations with vendors. I will also look at the variable components of the budget to see if funds can be freed up to push program expansion forward. We  need to study the declining enrollment and make adjustments where it makes sense.

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Proposed Cost Efficiencies

  • Return to 3 voting sites instead of 7
  • TAN - Tax Anticipation Notes. We need to avoid short term borrowing which in many cases is not required. This is costing the district $500,000 annually.
  • Refinance our bond debt at lower interest rates
  • Sale of Woodbury property – and best use of the funds
  • Avoid renting commercial office space outside our school district
  • Avoid renting offsite University space for the Middle Schools Graduation and instead  have it held at the Syosset High School
  • Explore use of BOCES Cultural Arts High School in Syosset. The BOCES School provides a career oriented environment for our advanced performing students. This would reduce our costs and afford more opportunities for our talented students.
  • Implement a Retirement Incentive Program

The realities are we facing tough economic times and we need to work together with the community. We have the resources in our own district to become more efficient.

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Remember to vote on May 15th and please vote for me on Row #1

 

Sincerely,

Chris DiFilippo         

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